I finally got around to reading the Tehama County Grand Jury report because I was interested in its findings about our city. The city government committee consisted of Chairperson Lisa Bartsch, Terry Brown, Tammy Cardenas, Faith Cole, Brenda Graham and Chris Sinclair.

Based on their investigation the Grand Jury made some very serious recommendations and comments to the City Council; these recommendations make common sense, and they seem to indicate that the city has not been very forward looking.

The summary statement of their report says: “The poverty rate within the City of Red Bluff is 24.6% according to welfareinfo.org. The City Government Committee of the Grand Jury set out to identify how city officials drive the stimulation of economic growth within the city. Inquiries focused on efforts being taken to plan for future economic growth, promote the city’s local and recreational attractions, increase interest to the downtown ‘Main Street’ shopping experience, and encourage occupancy of vacant buildings with new or expanding businesses, therefore increasing revenue to the community.” The Grand Jury wanted to know how the city was planning to deal with these issues.

The City Council’s response to those recommendations was somewhat bland; it went something like this: “Well, we’ve already adopted a budget so it is too late to do anything that will cost money; we’ll consider your recommendations next year.” If the Grand Jury recommendations are legitimate, it seems to me the city may just be kicking the can down the road, so to speak. At the very least the council should have established a committee, including community stakeholders, to examine the recommendations in detail and develop a plan for the council to consider even if it has to wait until next budget year.

Of course counting on next year’s budget is a crap shoot at best; in 2018-19 the city spent about $726,000 more than it brought in from revenue, according to the Daily News. The current budget was made possible by many cuts to department budgets. The police force is down two from where it was in recent years in spite of our crime rate. The 2019-20 budget estimates that expenses will exceed income by about $600,000. Obviously, the city faces some challenging budgetary issues, not helped by the lack of local growth and development, and if the Grand Jury is correct, without a plan. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said, ”A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

The most stinging statement from the Grand Jury was: “The absence of defined initiatives prevents the ability to measure progress or hold Red Bluff city officials accountable for achieving planned initiatives.” What that seems to mean is that the city is either unwilling or unable to plan ahead, and without plans no one can be held accountable. If there are plans, they will need to be clearly presented so that everyone knows how what he or she is doing fits into the city’s goals.

In part the Grand Jury Report states: “The City Government Committee recommends the city engage with subject matter experts, local business owners, and community stakeholders to define the city’s growth goals and requirements to determine how to address certain deficient or inadequate resources. In addition, the city should dedicate resources to advertise local recreational attractions, such as Lassen Volcanic National Park, the Sacramento River, established wineries in Manton and surrounding areas and outdoor activities, such as hiking, hunting and fishing to increase tourism and revenue generating opportunities.”

These recommendations could be followed without dipping into the current year’s budget, and I am sure there are a lot of citizens who would help out in such efforts.

The report also says: “The city’s 20-Year City General Plan for Economic Development will expire in 2022, which causes concern that attention is not being given to the challenges the community faces. Without a clear growth plan, city officials lack clear understanding of the challenges and requirements to improve current resources and public facilities, and the financial resources needed to support future growth.”

These recommendations could be followed between now and the next budget year. Promoting the items mentioned above could be done rather inexpensively through social media, press releases, coordinating with the Chamber of Commerce, etc. These items absolutely need to be addressed.

The Grand Jury does not point any fingers at city staff or the City Council, but clearly the staff and the council can and should address those issues.

The members of City Council with whom I am familiar are solid folks, not prone to a lackadaisical approach to their responsibilities; I am sure they did not feel good when the read the Grand Jury Report, and I hope that they will demonstrate their response to the report by their proactive actions.

After reading through the report, I am going to try to attend as many City Council meetings as is practical with my schedule; I will read the posted agendas and the minutes for each meeting and hopefully will see more obviously forward looking leaders. I encourage you to do the same.

The City Council normally meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 555 Washington St.

Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.